Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement for TfL (11)

Elly Baker: The Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement for Transport for London (TfL) for the period to 11 December 2021 says, “One Special Representative will also continue to attend all meetings of the Finance Committee and the Programmes and Investment Committee”. Can you confirm what Committee meetings have taken place since 1 June 2021 and which of those meetings the Government representatives have a) attended and b) participated in?

The Mayor: The papers for the meetings of the Transport for London (TfL) Board and each of its Committees and Panels, including a link to the archived recording of these meetings, are available on tfl.gov.uk on the How We Are Governed page.
Becky Wood was appointed in late June 2021 as the Special Representative to attend meetings of the Finance Committee and the Programmes and Investment Committee.
Since 1 June 2021 the Finance Committee has held four meetings: 23 June 2021, 6 October 2021, 24 November 2021 and 9 March 2022. Becky Wood was appointed too close to the meeting on 23 June 2021 to attend. She has attended and participated in the other three meetings.
Since 1 June 2021, the Programmes and Investment Committee has held four meetings: 21 July 2021, 13 October 2021, 15 December 2021, 2 March 2022. Becky Wood has attended and participated in each of these meetings.

Net Zero

Tony Devenish: You have commissioned two major reports on zero carbon London; do you have any recommendations you are sharing with Government as to the specific metrics it could enact further to the Public Accounts Committee report, to achieve your respective net zero ambitions?

The Mayor: The Public Accounts Committee points out the Government has no clear plan for how the transition to net zero will be funded. It also acknowledges the need for Government to track spending on Net Zero related activity, such as energy efficiency, and highlights that behaviour change (such as switching to electric vehicles) can affect tax revenues, and that government authorities must track this.
My London Net Zero 2030: An Updated Pathway outlines examples of potential policies and measures to support delivery of the Accelerated Green Pathway and achieve a net zero carbon London by 2030. It also sets out the cost of action and that these costs will need to be paid for via a combination of sources and that vulnerable groups or communities and those on lowest incomes should be protected.
My officers will continue to work with Government departments on London’s net zero target and the powers, policies and funding needed to deliver it, including access to funding for London such as Government has funded in other cities.

Waking Watches and London’s Boroughs

Anne Clarke: Please provide a borough-by-borough breakdown of the number of buildings operating waking watches in London. Please also breakdown the numbers for buildings over 18m and under 18m in each borough.

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) collects data for buildings with a temporary suspension of ‘stay put’ where an interim simultaneous evacuation strategy has been put in place. This includes, but is not limited to, waking watches, which the National Fire Chiefs Council guidance defines as a system where ‘suitably trained persons continually patrol all floors and the exterior perimeter of the building in order to detect a fire, raise the alarm, and carry out the role of evacuation management’.Residential buildings with an interim simultaneous evacuation strategy in place could have personnel on site or a remote monitoring system, but this is determined by the Responsible Person with guidancefroma competent fire safety professional.
The figures can changeon a daily basiswhen interim measures are required, or a building is remediated and no longer requires the interim measures. The number of buildings where an interim simultaneous evacuation strategy has been put in place, asof15 March 2022, are presented by borough and by height in the table below.
Local Authority
Total blocks
Over 18 metres
Under 18 metres
Barking and Dagenham
21
15
6
Barnet
23
16
7
Bexley
3
3
0
Brent
55
37
18
Bromley
4
2
2
Camden
42
37
5
City of London
3
2
1
Croydon
37
22
15
Ealing
19
12
7
Enfield
3
2
1
Greenwich
74
64
10
Hackney
87
69
18
Hammersmith and Fulham
15
13
2
Haringey
18
12
6
Harrow
4
3
1
Havering
11
10
1
Hillingdon
16
9
7
Hounslow
23
17
6
Islington
80
50
30
Kensington and Chelsea
22
13
9
Kingston upon Thames
4
4
0
Lambeth
52
37
15
Lewisham
52
34
18
Merton
4
3
1
Newham
74
69
5
Redbridge
12
10
2
Richmond
1
1
0
Southwark
102
78
24
Sutton
31
6
25
Tower Hamlets
174
160
14
Waltham Forest
21
20
1
Wandsworth
40
36
4
Westminster
45
42
3
Total
1172
908
264

Street Market Support

Neil Garratt: What actions have you taken to support street markets in London since 2016?

The Mayor: In December 2017, having listened to individuals, organisations and industry leaders from across London’s markets, I launched my Street and Covered Markets Programme. This takes a strategic approach, recognising the full value of these London assets and underscoring my commitment to working with the sector to address key challenges and opportunities facing markets in the capital.
Since then, I have supported the growth and recovery of London’s vibrant markets in a variety of ways including by:

Green Bonds Initiative

Leonie Cooper: Following the announcement of your £90m green bonds initiative, what interest has been shown and has there been any interest from any London boroughs?

The Mayor: My Pathways to Net Zero Carbon shows that private sector finance has a vital role in securing the £75bn of investment needed to get London to net zero by 2030. I have developed a programme to help raise that finance, including my Energy Efficiency Fund, my Financing Facility, and this Green Bonds initiative.
The £90m will support a green bond programme which aims to unlock over £500 million for projects across the GLA Group and its strategic partners. Investment criteria and conditions are currently being developed, with the expectation that the bond will be issued in late 2022.
Since the announcement, we have had interest from and spoken with London boroughs, private sector investors and the public. The GLA is currently developing the pipeline of potential projects that could be supported, working closely with London Councils, the GLA’s Functional Bodies and anchor institutions. Priority investments are likely to include retrofitting of social housing, the development of district energy networks and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Not spots

Leonie Cooper: Many Londoners rely on the internet now for everything they do. Yet many places in London still don’t have full coverage and there are many places that have no internet. What can you do to help fill in these gaps and can you meet internet providers to work on filling the gaps?

The Mayor: As part of the London Recovery Programme, London Councils and I have prioritised ‘Digital Access for All’ as one of the missions to ensure that ‘Every Londoner has access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to be online by 2025.’ As part of this, my Chief Digital Officer and the GLA’s Connected London team meet with telecom providers on a regular basis to better understand how they can unlock barriers to support provider investment in the capital.
Last year, I announced that London’s biggest not spot for mobile coverage, the London Underground, will be getting 4G mobile reception by December 2024. This network required hundreds of miles of new fibre optic cabling to be laid along the tunnels, creating a ‘fibre backbone’ across London. The GLA has also secured over £30m of funding to upgrade buildings so they can receive fibre broadband that is directly connected to the building instead of the nearest street cabinet that services the area. This means that, as well as making sure the building has the connectivity it needs for new services to be delivered there, the surrounding area benefits from the increased availability of fibre networks.
The GLA works closely with London’s sub regional partners who are strategically placed to provide additional resource to boroughs and engage with industry to tackle local connectivity problems. I have provided £1m to fund dedicated digital connectivity roles into the sub regions to support deployment across London and particularly in our not spots. To ensure that gigabit connectivity is the standard infrastructure deployed to new builds, I have produced the strongest digital connectivity policies ever in the London Plan which ensures that full fibre deployment is the norm and mobile connectivity provision is addressed when new housing is built.

City of Sanctuary

Hina Bokhari: What active steps are you taking to encourage local authorities in London to become fully accredited and active Cities of Sanctuary?

The Mayor: The GLA works closely with London boroughs to support efforts to welcome migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. This includes the Asylum Welcome Programme, aiming to strengthen service design for people seeking asylum; the Children in Care Programme which embeds children’s specialist immigration advice in social services teams; and the Hong Kong Programme which funds local authorities to undertake local engagement with new arrivals under the British National Overseas visa route.
The GLA also hosts the London Strategic Migration Partnership which facilitates collaboration between central and local government and civil society. There is an established ‘core group’ which oversees work on urgent humanitarian crises at a senior level, jointly owned with London Councils.
I have not taken direct steps to promote Cities of Sanctuary but continue to deliver on the core principles of my Social Integration strategy, which makes clear that we all need to work together to welcome new arrivals and support them to become active citizens who are connected to their local communities.

Heat Pumps

Leonie Cooper: What funding is available for Councils in London to help introduce Heat pump sources into their housing stock?

The Mayor: I have been successful in securing government grant funding for the provision of retrofit measures in London’s housing stock and have supported London’s social housing providers in accessing grants from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. In the coming year we will make around £47m available through my Warmer Homes programme, for measures such as low carbon heating and insulation. Heat pump systems are amongst the approved measures available to qualifying households and homes. This will support the rapid acceleration in the deployment of heat pumps that is needed for London to reach net zero, as highlighted by my recent “London Net Zero 2030: An Updated Pathway ( Pathways to Net Zero Carbon by 2030 | London City Hall )” report. I welcome the Government’s recent announcement of additional funding for heat pump installations, but feel this is not sufficient to address the situation.

Visas for Ukrainian Refugees

Hina Bokhari: What representations have you made to the Government on behalf of Londoners regarding calls to waive visas for Ukrainian refugees amidst the Ukraine-Russia conflict?

The Mayor: Earlier this month I met with the Ukrainian Ambassador and other members of the Ukrainian community in London, where we discussed safe routes to sanctuary and the role London can play.
Following this, I wrote to the Home Secretary calling for Government to waive complex visa requirements for Ukrainians which place unreasonable hardship on refugees fleeing for their lives. I welcome some of the changes made, but this still falls woefully short of expectations, with many people facing unnecessary barriers and immigration advice services stretched far beyond capacity to provide support.
Alongside this, I am also calling on the Government to ensure comprehensive funding is provided to local authorities and civil society, who will play a crucial role in ensuring high standards of safeguarding and support that will be vital as we prepare to welcome refugees with open arms. My team will continue to work closely with Government, London boroughs and civil society on this most important issue.

Mental Health Awareness Training in the LFB

Hina Bokhari: Given the poor voluntary uptake of mental health awareness training in the LFB will you consider working with the LFB to make such training mandatory?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB)’s new training course ‘Recognising and Managing Stress Anxiety and Depression’ is going live from April 2022. This course will be mandatory for all managers in the organisation, with an additional requirement to complete the online pre-learning package, ‘Mental Health Awareness’. All managers will then be responsible for ensuring that their staff complete the Mental Health Awareness package.
Officers will continue to monitor the uptake of the Mental Health Awareness course for all staff and LFB Mental Health First Aiders will promote its benefits. If uptake numbers remain low, further engagement with staff will follow later in 2022 and a decision made as to whether the training should be made mandatory for all staff.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month

Hina Bokhari: What current plans do you have to mark Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month this coming June?

The Mayor: I know that this is a very important month for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in London which is why we have celebrated it since 2018. Officers in the Community Engagement Team are currently working with representatives from key Gypsy, Roma and Traveller organisations to explore how we can best support them to mark it this year.

Water Only Schools (2)

Emma Best: How many water only schools do you hope there to be by the end of this Mayoral term?

The Mayor: Through the Healthy Schools London Network, I am working to support school leadership teams that are striving to improve the health and wellbeing of their pupils and wider school community. The network have provided important feedback, exploring the opportunities and barriers for implementing water only policies as part of a wider approach to supporting students to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
OHID’s evaluation of the water-only primary schools toolkit will include establishing a baseline to understand the uptake of water-only policies in schools across London. A toolkit for secondary schools was launched in February 2022 and will also be evaluated in a years’ time.
This information will be used to help expand the number of water only schools, In the meantime, water-only policies are being promoted through the Network, through the winning water-only competition entries, toolkits for both primary and secondary schools, and the installation of 20 water fountains in schools, gifted by Thames Water.

Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement for TfL (10)

Elly Baker: The Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement for Transport for London (TfL) for the period to 11 December 2021 says, “Two HMG appointed Special Representatives (one strategic appointee and one technical appointee) will continue to attend all TfL Board meetings”. Can you confirm what TfL Board meetings have taken place since 1 June 2021 and which of those meetings the two Government representatives have a) attended and b) participated in?

The Mayor: The papers for the meetings of the Transport for London (TfL) Board and each of its Committees and Panels, including a link to the archived recording of these meetings, are available on tfl.gov.uk on the How We Are Governed page.
Since 1 June 2021 the Board has held five meetings. 9 June 2021, 28 July 2021, 20 October 2021, 8 December 2021 and 2 February 2022.
Becky Wood was appointed after the meeting on 9 June 2021. She has attended and participated in each of the four meetings held since her appointment.
Andrew Gilligan has not attended any of these meetings.

Blackwall Tunnel Closures (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you confident that all measures to reduce closures to the Blackwall tunnel have been considered and exhausted, other than building the Silvertown tunnel?

The Mayor: Please see my response to question Mayor’s Question 2019/19671 where I explained the extensive measures Transport for London (TfL) has implemented over many years to attempt to reduce and better manage closures of the Blackwall Tunnel. TfL works to continually improve the operation of the road network in London, but it is clear that major intervention is required to improve the reliability of the cross-river network in east London, and that’s why it’s vital that TfL continues progress towards opening the Silvertown Tunnel scheme in 2025.

Health Inequalities Strategy Flexibility

Emma Best: How will you ensure your Health Inequalities Strategy is flexible enough to meet London’s changing public health needs and address health inequality issues which are currently missing from the strategy?

The Mayor: My vision, set out in the London Health Inequalities Strategy, is of a healthier, fairer city where nobody’s health suffers because of who they are, where they live, or what job they do. The HIS strategic priorities (Children, Minds, Places, Communities, Living) were based on an extensive review of evidence, broad engagement and consultation with Londoners.
The Strategy provides a flexible framework for action on health inequalities as they affect London’s diverse communities and Londoners with protected characteristics. The latest Implementation Plan has been strengthened in the light of COVID and reflecting Londoner’s needs to include key commitments: poverty and low incomes and ethnic inequalities and structural racism.
I am leading some of this work e.g. through two London Recovery Missions, a wide range of policies and programmes and the ‘health in all policies’ approach. Most action takes place at local level through boroughs, voluntary and community organisations, business and health and care partners.

Half-price travel for care leavers

Elly Baker: Following MQ 2021/1569 can you update me on plans to offer half-price travel for care leavers?

The Mayor: I have asked Transport for London (TfL) to introduce a new travel concession which will entitle care leavers to half-price travel in London. TfL has been working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London Councils on possible options and it hopes to have the new concession in place next year subject to funding.
In the meantime, TfL does offer a range of concessions to help young people travel in London. This includes the 16+ Zip Oyster photocard and the 18+ Student Oyster photocard.

Older People

Leonie Cooper: What can you do to help vulnerable and older Londoners who may still be incredibly nervous and anxious about going out with COVID-restrictions ending?

The Mayor: I fully understand the anxieties that some Londoners – including older Londoners and those more vulnerable to serious illness – will have as Covid restrictions are lifted. Many such concerns have been expressed by our many community-based stakeholders and we take all of these incredibly seriously.
I am working to ensure we do all we can to stop the spread of the virus and protect people from becoming seriously ill. I continue to urge people to get vaccinated and to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces. A further booster is now available for older and vulnerable people and I encourage them to take up this offer.
TfL continues to strongly encourage passengers to wear face coverings, if they are able, when travelling on the network. TfL's enhanced cleaning regime also continues to ensure the transport network is cleaner than ever.
All of this will help to protect Londoners and give them some reassurance while travelling around the city

Blackwall Tunnel Closures (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: How many times a year does the Blackwall tunnel close? Please break these figures down by year since the year 2015.

The Mayor: The annual total closures at the Blackwall Tunnel are set out below.
Year
N/bound
S/bound
Number of Tunnel Closures
2016/17
819
233
1052
2017/18
577
169
746
2018/19
576
168
744
2019/20
471
165
636
2020/21
393
126
519
2021/2022 (P1-P12)
601
124
725

Ukraine Refugees

Leonie Cooper: What has the Mayor been doing to help support more Ukrainian refugees coming to London?

The Mayor: The GLA works closely with London boroughs to support efforts to welcome migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. This includes the Asylum Welcome Programme, aiming to strengthen service design for people seeking asylum; the Children in Care Programme which embeds children’s specialist immigration advice in social services teams; and the Hong Kong Programme which funds local authorities to undertake local engagement with new arrivals under the British National Overseas visa route.
The GLA also hosts the London Strategic Migration Partnership which facilitates collaboration between central and local government and civil society. There is an established ‘core group’ which oversees work on urgent humanitarian crises at a senior level, jointly owned with London Councils.
I have not taken direct steps to promote Cities of Sanctuary but continue to deliver on the core principles of my Social Integration strategy, which makes clear that we all need to work together to welcome new arrivals and support them to become active citizens who are connected to their local communities.

TfL Service Update

Len Duvall: During the recent tube strike TfL’s service update reported good service on lines but did not state that whilst trains were running stations were closed. How can the Service Update be updated to accurately reflect travelling conditions in London and to be a useful tool to Londoners as a result?

The Mayor: Information about station closures is published on the ‘Status updates’ page of the Transport for London (TfL) website, under the ‘Stations’ tab. https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/#stations-status
TfL is making ongoing, iterative improvements to products like the TfL Go app to make this data more visible. At present, this is done manually (as is the case for the planned Northern line closure) where closed stations are marked on the interactive Tube map with an exclamation mark. TfL is investigating further automation so that unplanned closures are also made visible in the same way.

Lobbying Government about Effectiveness of Masks against Covid-19 (2)

Keith Prince: In your response to question 2022/0792, you suggest that your decision to lobby the Government about the effectiveness of masks was based on a BMJ article dated 9 April 2020 brought to your attention by your Health Advisor.

Please provide me with all evidence (emails, memos, handwritten notes) of your consideration of the BMJ Article brought to attention by your Health Advisor before your public declaration on 16 April 2021.

The Mayor: As I have said previously, there was no single day that I learned masks were effective. Evidence from across a number of countries was accumulating and we were constantly reviewing the available information.
The response to MQ 2022/0792 refers to the BMJ article, which was published on 9 April 2020, and raised the question of applying a precautionary principle where people were encouraged to wear face masks on the grounds that – as a collective – we had little to lose and potentially something to gain from the measure.
As the pandemic progressed, the balance changed whereby it became clear that the disadvantages were outweighed by the advantages.

Support for Ukrainian Londoners

Tony Devenish: Will you take every reasonable action available to you in your position as Mayor of London to support Ukrainians in London in light of the current conflict?

The Mayor: Our city has a duty of care to the people suffering from the unprovoked invasion by Putin’s regime. I am committed to taking every reasonable action available in my position as Mayor of London to support Ukrainians in London.
I have called on Government to make an immediate offer of long-term protection for Ukrainians already in the UK and their families, ensuring entitlement to work and access benefits. I am deeply concerned that many in the UK on short-term visas have been left with no resources to support their stay now they are unable to return home.
I have also called for comprehensive funding for local authorities and civil society to be able to meet the long-term needs of this community.
The London Strategic Migration Partnership oversees London’s governance on migration issues with an established ‘core group’ set up to respond to humanitarian crises at a senior level, jointly owned with London Councils. We continue to move at pace and in partnership to ensure the needs of Ukrainians in London are met.

Lobbying Government about Effectiveness of Masks against Covid-19

Keith Prince: In your response to question 2022/0792, you do not present any evidence of your lobbying the Government about the effectiveness of masks against Covid-19, but you do refer to your 16 April 2021 ‘public’ declaration for “the Government to change their advice around the compulsory wearing of face coverings”. A 16 April 2021 BBC Report about your public declaration (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52312906) has you stating:

"I'm lobbying our government and advisers to change their advice, and I want us to do that sooner rather than later. They are already reviewing this on the basis of our representation."

Please provide: (a) a copy of your alleged representation; (b) any evidence for your statement that the Government was reviewing your alleged representation; and (c) any evidence that the Government responded to your alleged representation.

The Mayor: The paper suggested that the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits based on the information available at the time. See response to MQ2022/0794 to see the STAC paper.
There was no single day that I learned masks were effective. Evidence from across a number of countries was accumulating and we were constantly reviewing the available information. The balance changed whereby it became clearer that the disadvantages were outweighed by the advantages.

Mapping climate impacts in London (2)

Zack Polanski: The Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade has said that in 2021 there were several thousand incidents of flooding in London. Could you provide a map and table of these incidents, including a breakdown by borough, so that the nature of climate risks in London can be clearly understood?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) attends three broad types of calls to flooding. These are: water leaks within buildings (normally overflowing baths, sinks, or similar); burst water mains; and weather-related flooding.
Water leaks within buildings represent most of all flooding calls attended (88 per cent over the nine years since these broad categories were introduced). Flooding linked to burst water mains accounts for about 5 per cent of incidents, with weather-related flooding incidents accounting for about 10 per cent of incidents.
In the calendar year of 2021, LFB attended 2,100 weather-related flooding incidents. The numbers per borough are shown in the table below. A map which plots the incidents is attached.
London Borough
Weather-related
flooding incidents in 2021
Barking and Dagenham
26
Barnet
26
Bexley
31
Brent
52
Bromley
85
Camden
77
City of London
3
Croydon
25
Ealing
50
Enfield
12
Greenwich
5
Hackney
48
Hammersmith and Fulham
160
Haringey
90
Harrow
11
Havering
161
Hillingdon
10
Hounslow
40
Islington
38
Kensington and Chelsea
184
Kingston upon Thames
10
Lambeth
54
Lewisham
13
Merton
26
Newham
70
Redbridge
112
Richmond upon Thames
28
Southwark
72
Sutton
56
Tower Hamlets
28
Waltham Forest
182
Wandsworth
62
Westminster
253
Total in 2021
2,100

The Mayor: 0990 map.pdf

Food Waste

Leonie Cooper: Has Wandsworth Council been in touch with you since my last question about implementing food waste collection?

The Mayor: A recent ReLondon report shows that 1,456,000 tonnes of food is lost or wasted within London each year, and the management of that waste produces almost 400,000 tonnes of CO2eq, contributing to the climate emergency.
Since your last question (2021/3362), Wandsworth Council has informed my officers of its intention to procure a new waste collection contract commencing in April 2024. My officers met Wandsworth officers to discuss the GLA’s statutory obligation to review their specification and assess it for general conformity with my London Environment Strategy, which includes the provision for separate food waste collection.
I welcomed Wandsworth’s small trial of food waste collections which commenced in November 2021, but am disappointed that despite the evidence of its effectiveness, there has not yet been a commitment to a borough-wide service from 2024, which was a condition of my approval of Wandsworth's Reduction and Recycling Plan in April 2020.
My Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy has written to Wandsworth’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and Open Spaces to reiterate my expectation that the upcoming procurement includes a borough-wide food waste collection service as a core item in the contract specification, enabling this to start in 2024.

Air Quality Fund

Emma Best: Can you confirm how many school workshops will have been conducted by 31st March 2022 as part of the Air Quality Fund’s anti-idling project?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Air Quality Fund’s Idling Action Project is a London-wide behaviour change campaign tackling unnecessary pollution emissions from idling vehicles through various engagement methods, one of which is school workshops. Idling Action are on track to have delivered workshop at 139 schools to approximately 11000 pupils by the 31 March 2022. The workshop usually entails delivering the lesson to multiple classes in the school over the course of the day.
Delivery of the workshops was affected by Covid-19 and school closures. In response, an online video of the school lesson was produced. This has been watched 495 times so far. Teachers were provided with resources to deliver the workshop remotely to their students using the video during school closures. Through the project 155 anti-idling banners have been provided to schools to hang outside, designed by the pupils in the workshops, reminding drivers to switch off their engines to reduce emissions.

549 Bus Route

Emma Best: Please can you outline the number of passengers per bus recorded on the 549 bus route which led to the decision to reduce the frequency of service from one every 60mins to one every 90mins?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) reduced the frequency of route 549 from around every 70 minutes to every 90 minutes to improve service performance as the route did not meet its reliability target. Reducing the service frequency adds longer ‘layovers’ at each end of the route, which helps improve reliability for customers.
Demand on the route fell significantly over the ten years to 2019. In calendar year 2019, the route carried around 225 passengers per weekday and 115 on Saturdays. This equates to about nine passengers per trip on weekdays. Usage was higher in 2014 with 260 passengers on weekdays and 155 passengers on a Saturday. This was itself a reduction on 2009 when the figures were 295 and 175 respectively. There were just 154 weekday users (equating to about six to seven passengers per trip) before the Government’s ‘Plan B’ restrictions were imposed in December 2021. Each bus on route 549 has capacity for 60 passengers. This means there is still more than enough capacity for current and future demand for the full route with the reduced frequency.

London Recovery Board Structural Inequalities

Emma Best: What have been the findings of the London Recovery Board’s Structural Inequalities work?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Board convened a sub-group last summer to develop an action plan to address the causes of the disproportionate impacts of Covid-19. The sub-group has focused on four priority areas where the link to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 was strongest; that did not duplicate existing work; and where there was the potential to identify actions with a ‘multiplier effect’.
The priority areas identified were: labour market inequality; financial hardship and living standards; equity in public services; and civil society strength. Following an extensive process of engagement and co-design with recovery partners and equity-led organisations, a plan containing 14 headline actions – each supported by examples of how recovery partners can fulfil them – was approved by the London Recovery Board on 1st March.
The plan is a voluntary framework that partners can use to inform their own approaches to addressing inequality. It enables and supports different organisations to take action in ways that work best for their specific context. It will be launched later this spring and will be implemented by developing ‘communities of practice’ that will work with partnerships, networks and forums that already exist at organisational, local and regional levels.

Mental Health Funding

Emma Best: Please can you provide a breakdown of the amount of funding the GLA has allocated to mental health for each year since 2016?

The Mayor: The GLA is taking a prevention-focused approach towards improving the public’s mental health through the Thrive LDN partnership.
Links have been provided separately to Mayoral Decision documents (see here), which can be accessed publicly, and hold further information on the GLA’s mental health work programmes and a breakdown of funding. My team’s response to a Freedom of Information request (see here) made in February 2022 further breaks down mental health funding since 2016.
It’s worth stating that there is a broader programme of work that is mainstreamed across the GLA that aims to support good mental health and wellbeing, but it is difficult to separate this work out and therefore it is not possible to list all of this activity in this request.
To give a sense of this mainstreamed activity, certain programmes delivered through, but not limited to the following teams and departments will seek to support positive mental health for Londoners: Education and Youth, Social Integration, Team London, Housing and Land, Sports, MOPAC, Equality and Fairness, Skills, Environment, Culture, TfL and the Violence Reduction Unit.

Health Inequalities Implementation Plan

Emma Best: How many of the commitments within the Health Inequalities Strategy Implementation Plan will be completed by the end of this mayoral term?

The Mayor: There are a total of 202 commitments in the Health Inequalities Strategy Implementation Plan and accompanying annex.
Of the 158 commitments to be delivered by the GLA, 152 have delivery dates within this Mayoral term. I expect substantial progress to be made against the six remaining commitments. Delivery times for these six ‘Key Commitments’ in each of the HIS Aims are as follows:
A further 44 commitments are being led by partners, and any known dates for these have been included. As ever, I will continue to encourage and support partners to deliver for Londoners. There may of course be emerging priorities and external factors that affect delivery.
I will publish progress reports annually.

Water Only Schools (1)

Emma Best: How many water only schools are there in London?

The Mayor: OHID (Office of Health Improvement and Disparities) is in the process of evaluating the London Water Only Primary Schools toolkit, which includes work to help establish a baseline looking at schools’ experiences of implementing water only policies. By doing so we will be able to get a snapshot pf how many schools are involved. It’s important to note that setting a baseline is complex and requires high engagement from schools.
In the meantime, the Healthy Place, Healthy Weight mission team has been working with the Healthy Schools London network and London obesity leads to gather a snapshot of water only schools through an online survey. Of the 165 primary schools across London that have responded (out of an estimated 2,543) 155 (69.7%) are currently water only, meaning students only drink water or milk (plain semi skimmed or skimmed milk, lactose free or soya milk) during the school day.
A toolkit for secondary schools was launched in February 2022 and will be evaluated in a years' time.

Mayoral Support for the Future High Streets Fund

Hina Bokhari: Please provide details on the practical support you offered and gave to local authorities in submitting bids to the Government’s Future High Streets Fund scheme?

The Mayor: Staff in the GLA’s Regeneration team work with partners across London to develop local economic strategies and partnerships and to support coordinated project delivery to ensure positive outcomes for local people.
The team provided targeted support to a number of borough regeneration teams to help scope, develop and deliver Future High Street Fund bids and related projects as part of wider area-based strategy development.
All bidding partnerships in London were provided with a letter of endorsement signed by the Mayor, which highlighted the coordination that took place between regional and local government – one of the key funding criteria set by the Government for the Future High Street Fund.

LFB’s Flooding Outreach Work

Hina Bokhari: Please provide an update on the LFB’s flooding outreach work and how they are working with businesses and residents in the capital most at risk from flooding.

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) continues to publicise risks around flooding through social media and is planning more targeted work with communities and other agencies by using data from incidents that LFB has attended. LFB will also be highlighting flood risk with an exhibition stand at the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show in May. The stand aims to educate the public on how sustainable drainage systems can help to alleviate flood risk.
LFB is also considering how flooding advice can be incorporated into Fire Safety Inspections and Home Fire Safety Visits to inform and support businesses and residents. Flooding has been added to Safety First’s (a joint initiative with the Metropolitan Police) Water Safety package for pupils in secondary schools and a primary school water safety education package is being introduced within the summer term. During the storms and flooding in February 2022, LFB was able to signpost Londoners to its website via social media for tailored advice on how to keep safe.

Supporting London’s Street Markets

Hina Bokhari: When did you and the Deputy Mayor for Business last join a meeting of the London Markets Board, and will you commit to joining them more frequently in order to better understand the challenges facing London’s Street markets and traders post-Covid?

The Mayor: I am currently in the process of appointing my second London Markets Board which will continue to be chaired by my Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills. GLA officers from across Regeneration and Economic Development will continue to feed into and collaborate with the work of the Board in recognition of the important role that markets play in supporting local jobs, skills and economies.
Since I launched my London Markets Board in 2017 it has explored the key challenges markets face, the breadth of value they offer, and opportunities to improve their long-term sustainability and social impact. The Board has overseen the action we are taking here at City Hall to better support markets, including investment through my Good Growth Fund, advocacy and sharing of best practise.

50th Anniversary of London Pride

Joanne McCartney: Is the GLA assisting with or producing any events to mark the 50th anniversary of the first official London Pride March?

The Mayor: Officers in my Equality and Fairness Team are having early conversations with key stakeholders to explore the possibility of hosting a seminar to mark the 50th anniversary of the London Pride March.
The event is intended to platform Black and minoritized LGBTQ+ people’s contributions to the advancement of civil and human rights over the past 5 decades and to discuss the intersectional experiences of these communities as part of the wider Pride movement. It will be held as part of the Pride in London cultural calendar.

Training for Councillors on Fire Safety Risk Assessments

Hina Bokhari: Will you look at working with the LFB and boroughs to introduce some simple training for councillors so that they can more effectively support residents in raising issues when joining fire risk assessments in their ward?

The Mayor: London Fire Brigade (LFB) is confident that its training data is accurate. The data is subject to an ongoing reconciliation process through IT systems and Quality Assurance and reports are produced according to detailed guidance notes to ensure accuracy and consistency. The Brigade continually considers ways to improve how the collection of data can be improved and as this work evolves, will be able to provide further levels of insight on the data and respond accordingly. I discuss matters relating to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 recommendations and the findings of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services at my regular meetings with the London Fire Commissioner; and my Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience provides scrutiny of the Brigade through monthly board meetings, deep dives and regular reporting from LFB on key issues.

Weight of Electric Buses

Krupesh Hirani: In reply to my Question Number 2022/0658, you stated that battery packs on board electric buses make these vehicles heavier than the buses they replace. This weight disturbs my constituents: as the buses pass, their houses shake. As the roll-out of zero emission vehicles proceeds and technology is refined, what is the likelihood of technology improving and the battery packs becoming lighter?

The Mayor: Zero-emission buses offer huge air quality benefits to Londoners. As zero-emission technology improves – specifically in electric buses – Transport for London expects the energy density of the batteries to increase. Over time, this would both reduce the weight of the bus and enable the buses to operate for longer.

Fire Door Safety Messaging

Hina Bokhari: Fire doors play a key role in preventing and slowing the spread of fire, yet often people inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of fire doors through certain alterations. Will you work with the LFB, boroughs and housing associations to promote good practice in relation to fire doors for residents?

The Mayor: Fire doors and specifically flat front doors play a critical role in preventing or slowing the spread of fire. The provisions of the Fire Safety Act 2021, which are expected to come into effect this year, provide greater clarity around flat front doors by bringing them clearly into the scope of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) as the regulator. LFB also promotes and takes part in the national Fire Door Safety Week which aims to promote awareness of these issues.
It is essential that all those with a responsibility for fire safety continue to work with residents to raise awareness of the critical role a fire door can provide in preserving life, as well as highlighting the significant risk that alterations to doors or associated parts, such as self-closing devices or the frames, can create.

Childhood Obesity

Emma Best: What was the prevalence of childhood obesity in reception and year 6 children in London for each year since 2016?

The Mayor: This information is publicly available at National Child Measurement Programme - NHS Digital, but is included below for completeness.
Children’s height and weight is measured in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years) as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).
Children are classified as overweight (including obese) if their BMI is on or above the 85th centile of the British 1990 growth reference (UK90) according to age and sex.
Prevalence of children with a Body Mass Index classified as obese (including severely obese) is given as a proportion of all children measured.
Reception: Prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
10.3%
2016/17
10.3%
2017/18
10.1%
2018/19
10.2%
2019/20
10.0%
2020/21
15.3%
Year 6: Prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
23.2%
2016/17
23.6%
2017/18
23.1%
2018/19
23.2%
2019/20
23.7%
2020/21
30.0%
Reception: Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
22.0%
2016/17
22.3%
2017/18
21.8%
2018/19
21.8%
2019/20
21.6%
2020/21
27.2%
Year 6: Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
38.1%
2016/17
38.5%
2017/18
37.7%
2018/19
37.9%
2019/20
38.2%
2020/21
45.2%
Notes
*The 2019/20 NCMP data collection stopped in March 2020 when schools were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of children measured was around 75% of previous years however analysis by NHS Digital indicates that figures are directly comparable to previous years.
*Data for 2020/21 – The proportion of eligible children measured through the NCMP was much lower because of school closures up to March 2021 and a different approach to the data collection to account for this. Due to the impact of COVID 19 the collection was carried out as a sample and statistical weighting was applied which is representative of the population and results are broadly comparable to previous years. Only children with valid geographical coding (postcode of residence) have been included in this analysis.

Kilburn Railway Station Arches

Krupesh Hirani: Transport for London has started a consultation over how to best restore the arches next to Kilburn Railway Station, as part of funding from one of your Mayoral initiatives.Can you provide details of how you have been investing in arches across London and supporting tenants in the last two years?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) has a diverse and significant commercial estate, which includes hundreds of businesses located within arches.
At the outset of the pandemic, TfL was the first major landlord to announce rent relief measures for all small and medium enterprises. This included direct rent credits, freezing rent levels and allowing more time to pay down existing arrears.
For two years, TfL’s ability to invest in its estate has been severely hampered by the failure of Government to agree a long-term funding settlement. As London begins to recover, TfL is focused on continuing to support the thousands of businesses already on its estate while helping new customers join. TfL is developing an investment programme for its arches estate to create places that work for local communities and London as a whole.
TfL has started its programme in Kilburn and has launched an engagement programme to better understand what the local community, current businesses and local groups want from the space. Using investment and active local engagement, TfL will create space at Kilburn that reflects and enhances the local environment and generates both employment and sustainable long-term revenue to reinvest in the transport network.

Transforming Church End, Brent

Krupesh Hirani: Brent Council has secured funding to transform Church End as part of your High Streets for All Challenge. According to Brent Council figures, the street has the highest concentration of criminal activities per business and highest high street vacancy rate (16 per cent) in the borough. In addition, it recorded the second highest Covid death rate in England at the beginning of thepandemic. How confident are you that the planned improvements will lead to less criminal activity, higher occupancy by businesses and greater confidence in the locale within the community?

The Mayor: My High Streets for All Challenge is based on the premise that, given the right support package, every community in London has the capacity and ingenuity to recover, reinvent and renew their high streets for the benefit of all Londoners.
It is increasingly clear that the economic, social and health impacts of the pandemic are being felt unevenly. Many high streets and town centres in the poorest areas have experienced the deepest shocks – heightening existing inequalities.As Mayor, I am committed to a strong and fair recovery right across London that tackles these inequalities.
I am confident that the funding I have awarded for Church End will help support and grow strong partnerships with Brent Council, SAAFI (Somali Advice and Forum of Information), and other key community partners including local youth organisations who are central to the design and delivery of Church End’s new youth hub, an important high street asset to nurture talent, innovation, productivity and enterprise.

Fires Caused by Electric Scooters

Onkar Sahota: How many fires caused by e-scooters have the London Fire Brigade responded to over the last three years?

The Mayor: The number of fires involving e-scooters for the calendar years 2019 to 2021 is shown in the table below.
Type
2019
2020
2021
E-scooter
2
16
29
A specific e-scooter category was added to data recording in June 2021. Data before this date is based on a ‘free text’ search analysis of incident records so there may be other fires where an e-scooter was not specifically mentioned.
This data provides an update to the figures given in response to MQ 2021/4526 which explained that data capture had been improved recently to enable crews to specifically record e-scooter fires and that it would be possible to provide more accurate data going forward. As a result of the workby London Fire Brigade's fire investigation teamto better understand e-vehicle fires attended, the way that the Brigade records such data is now more accurate.

Civil Society Roots

Neil Garratt: What criteria will be used to choose organisations to receive funds from the Civil Society Roots programme?

The Mayor: Civil Society Roots is focussed on supporting organisations to develop networks, build their capacity and strengthen their voice. It is designed to invest in activity that will lead to better support for Londoners through stronger community organisations. This round is targeted at 10 London Boroughs:Bromley, Enfield, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Newham, Redbridge, Sutton, Wandsworth.These boroughs were identified through an evidence review, identifying where national and regional funders find it hardest to fund community-led organisations. The funding is for groups that areled by and for communities impacted by structural inequalities. This includes Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners, Deaf and Disabled Londoners, LGBT+ Londoners, Older Londoners and Women. Projects must be led by and for groups impacted by structural inequality and be based in one of the 10 boroughs. We know that groups often organise across boroughs and communities, so we will be flexible and respond to the needs identified.

Blackwall tunnel road delays

Caroline Pidgeon: Further to TfL’s press statement on the 7 December 2017 that delays at the Blackwall Tunnel caused by drivers running out of fuel had been reduced following innovative trials between TfL, social navigation app Waze and Eurotunnel, please state what further actions have been taken to build upon these trials?

The Mayor: Since 2017, Transport for London (TfL) has developed its collaboration with Waze and other on-line information platforms. Examples include:
TfL’s Network Management Control Centre uses data provided by Waze to manage the London road network in real time, including the area around the Blackwall tunnel. Waze also provide information to reach drivers with targeted messaging on road closures, road safety, ULEZ or major events allowing them to make informed decisions on how they move around the network.

Transport for London Fare Revenue Loss (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: What is Transport for London’s estimated loss of fare revenue for London Underground services during the RMT strike action on (a) 1 March and (b) 3 March?

The Mayor: The RMT strike action on 1 March and 3 March 2022 had an effect on demand across the whole week beyond the two strike days, making it difficult to isolate the effect of each strike day from the other. Overall, Transport for London estimates that London Underground fare revenue was around £13m lower across the week as a result of the strike.

Cyber Attack on Transport for London

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you confident that Transport for London (TfL) has necessary and sufficient safeguards in place to cope with any potential cyber-attack on London’s transport network?

The Mayor: As a large organisation with an extensive technology base Transport for London (TfL) takes due care to protect itself from cyber-attacks. These include preventive measures to strengthen systems against intrusion, monitoring to detect intrusion and a response capability.
TfL’s systems have proved resilient against previous, well publicised cyber-attacks that have had an impact on other organisations. TfL remains vigilant against the evolving threats, including from sovereign states, and will do everything within its means to protect itself. TfL also receives advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, with which it maintains a good working relationship.

Good Growth Fund and Public Toilets

Onkar Sahota: Can you provide a list of the locations of new public toilets being funded through your Good Growth Fund?

The Mayor: I can confirm the list below provides details on location and number of new public toilets that have been funded through the Good Growth Programme so far:
Project
Number of toilets accessible / accessible on request.
Details
Fashioning Poplar / Poplar Works
8 toilets, 2 publicly and disabled accessible
Monier Road
7 toilets (accessible on request-disabled tbc)
Fashion Tailoring Academy
6 toilets (accessible on request- disabled tbc)
English National Ballet
24 toilets (accessible on request- disabled tbc)
Toynbee Hall
5 toilets, including 3 publicly and disabled accessible
Tottenham high Road
2 publicly and disabled accessible toilets
Southwark Playhouse
11 cubicles (accessible on request- 1 disabled)
Lea bridge library
2 existing toilets including 1 disabled accessible refurbishment (tbc)
A Village Hall for Clapton Commons
1 new publicly disabled accessible toilet
Space Ilford
2 new publicly and disabled accessible toilets including baby changing facilities.
(Redbridge
Town Hall)
(Phase one of the Spark)
Everyone Everyday Warehouse
10 publicly accessible toilets
Including 2 disabled accessible toilets
National Youth Theatre
6 disabled accessible gender-neutral toilets fully equipped Changing Places have been created for public use on the ground floor. (accessible on request)
Nourish food Hud. Edward Wood estate
4 publicly accessible toilets including 1 disabled accessible
East Barnet
1 community publicly and disabled accessible toilet
The Flower Bank Hub
Centre 404
9 toilets in total, including one changing places toilet, 1 disabled accessible toilet and one ambulant toilet. (accessible on request)
Grahame Park old library
3 mixed gender toilets including 1 disabled accessible (accessible on request)
Hackney Wick
9 toilets (5 publicly accessible, disabled accessible toilets tbc)
The Yard Theatre
10 toilets, including 9 publicly accessible and
2 disabled accessible
Thamesmead Community Enterprise Hub
6 toilets (accessible on request- 2 disabled)
Festival Church Waterloo
8 cubicles (accessible on request- 1 disabled )
South Norwood
4 toilets (1 disabled accessible)
Polka Theatre
- Male toilets - 2x multi rooms with urinals and 2x cubicles
			- Female toilets – 2x multi rooms with 8x cubicles
			- 3x public accessible toilets DDA compliant
			- 2x gender neutral separate toilets
Studio Voltaire
5no. Toilets available to the public, 2 of these are DDA compliance AWC. (3 of these are designed by artists)
Brixton market
4 public toilets – Disabled accessible tbc
Tottenham high Road
At 639 Community Enterprise Hub. 14 toilets brought back into use with 6 cubicles publicly and disabled accessible (number tbc)
Peckham Station square and Peckham Palms
5 public toilets installed into Peckham Palms including 1 disabled accessible toilet. The wider project at Peckham Station will also include new public toilets
Mercato Ilford
24 toilets (22 publicly accessible, including 2 disabled accessible).
Studio 3 Arts
8 toilets publicly accessible
Barking
Including 1 disabled accessible and 1 baby changing facility.
Kingsley Hall
16 toilets + 2 separate baby changing facilities.
(13 publicly accessible, 4 disabled accessible).
A House for Artists
2 toilets in Community Centre
Baby changing facilities – all disabled accessible
(accessible on request)
Rainham Innovation Hub
7 toilets
(6 publicly accessible including 2 disabled accessible)
Erith - 66/68 Pier Road; Pier Road public space
3 publicly accessible toilets including 1 disabled accessible
Goldsmiths Enterprise Hub
0 – funding re-allocated
Crystal Palace Park Lodge
2 publicly and disabled accessible toilets
Crystal Palace NSC
2 publicly and disabled accessible toilets
(30 available to users of sports centre)
St Bernard's Chapel project
1 publicly and disabled accessible toilet
Westway Community Street
Refurbishment of a toilet bloc including
4 urinals, 7 public toilets, including 1 disabled accessible
Bedford House
2 disabled accessible toilets, including 1 accessible to the public and 4 toilets within changing rooms
Inclusive Growth in Finsbury Park
· Two public standard toilets
· One publicly accessible shower with toilet
· One publicly accessible baby change with toilet
113 -115 Fonthill Road:
· One publicly and disabled accessible toilet
· Two public standard toilets
Improving public assets
West Library (all publicly accessible)
2 gender neutral toilets
1 disabled accessible gender neutral toilets
Jean Stokes Community Centre
2 gender neutral toilets
1 disabled accessible gender neutral toilets
Ludham Undercroft
4 gender neutral toilets
2 disabled accessible gender neutral toilets
(Accessible on request)

Health Impacts of Working from Home

Emma Best: What research have you undertaken to assess the impact of working from home on Londoners’ health?

The Mayor: In Summer 2020, after the first wave of the pandemic, I worked with partners from Public Health England London and the Association of Directors of Public Health London on a series of seven rapid evidence reviews and stakeholder workshops around the wider impacts of COVID-19 and recovery of population health in London.
The published findings were that working from home was an unequal experience for Londoners and dependent on their particular work and home circumstances. Potential impacts of time spent at home leading to poorer health were related to limited space for work, study and play; pressure on relationships; increased abuse; increased exposure to second-hand smoke, less physical activity and impacts on sleep and mental health. Further health risks identified were associated with social isolation, work-life balance and space (especially for young people).
This work has informed my nine Recovery Missions to support London’s recovery.

In Debt Londoners

Neil Garratt: How many Londoners have increased levels of debt since 2016? Please give a breakdown by year.

The Mayor: Unfortunately, data on the numbers of Londoners in debt has not been routinely reported since 2016 so this information is unavailable.
However, in the Survey of Londoners, undertaken in 2018-19, 62% of Londoners reported that debt was a burden and 24% said it was a heavy burden. The survey is being repeated this year and findings will be available from summer 2022.
In addition, client data from StepChange, the UK’s largest national debt charity, shows that Londoners are the main users of their service. In 2020, 15% of StepChange clients were Londoners.
I am particularly worried about the impact of Covid-19 on indebtedness among Londoners. Figures from Debt Free London showed that between December 2020 and March 2021, the monthly caseload rose from 995 to 2,876 and the average number of problem debts per client rose from 2.5 in 2019/20 to 3.5 in 2020/21. The figure was 2.1 in 2016/17.

Debt Free London Helpline

Neil Garratt: You recently announced funding to extend Debt Free London’s helpline to 24-hours. For how long will this extension be funded?

The Mayor: My funding to extend Debt Free London’s free advice helpline to a 24/7 service will run until 22 May 2022.
The funding has been targeted to enable Debt Free London to provide additional support to Londoners this spring, when we expect to see a spike in demand for advice services as the energy price cap lifts and National Insurance contributions rise on 1st April.

London Markets Board Applications

Hina Bokhari: The London Markets Board recently advertised for nine new board members, with applications having closed on 17 January 2022. Please state how much engagement was undertaken to promote these positions with market traders across London, and to what extent was diversity of members in terms of gender, ethnicity and sexuality considered in the process?

The Mayor: Applications for my second London Markets Board opened in December 2021 and closed in January 2022. Applications were shared across a broad range of platforms and widely with market sector contacts.
The markets sector is not diverse, and work has been undertaken to meet my commitment for my Boards to reflect the diversity of London’s communities. GLA officers sought to address this through recruitment by:
I expect to announce my second London Markets Board in the coming weeks.

Street Market Numbers

Neil Garratt: What were the number of different street markets running in London for each year since 2016? Please provide a breakdown by borough.

The Mayor: Mapping London’s street markets was identified as a priority by the markets sector when I launched my Street and Covered Markets Programme in 2017. Just over 280 markets were mapped across London through the street market mapping tool. The tool allows users to sift through London’s markets by borough, market type and opening times. We do not hold any other data regarding street markets beyond what is available on the street markets mapping tool. Additional data on street markets is however held at a borough level by Local Authorities.

Childhood Obesity

Andrew Boff: Please can you provide the childhood obesity figures for London for every year since 2016?

The Mayor: Children’s height and weight is measured in Reception (aged 4-5 years) and Year 6 (aged 10-11 years)as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP).This information is publicly available at National Child Measurement Programme - NHS Digital, but is included below for completeness.
Children are classified as overweight (including obese) if their BMI is on or above the 85th centile of the British 1990 growth reference (UK90) according to age and sex.
Prevalence of children with a Body Mass Index classified as obese (including severely obese) is given as a proportion of all children measured.
Reception: Prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
10.3%
2016/17
10.3%
2017/18
10.1%
2018/19
10.2%
2019/20
10.0%
2020/21
15.3%
Year 6: Prevalence of obesity (including severe obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
23.2%
2016/17
23.6%
2017/18
23.1%
2018/19
23.2%
2019/20
23.7%
2020/21
30.0%
Children are classified as overweight (including obese) if their BMI is on or above the 85th centile of the British 1990 growth reference (UK90) according to age and sex.
Reception: Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
22.0%
2016/17
22.3%
2017/18
21.8%
2018/19
21.8%
2019/20
21.6%
2020/21
27.2%
Year 6: Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) London Region
Period
Value
2015/16
38.1%
2016/17
38.5%
2017/18
37.7%
2018/19
37.9%
2019/20
38.2%
2020/21
45.2%
Notes
*The 2019/20 NCMP data collection stopped in March 2020 when schools were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of children measured was around 75% of previous years however analysis by NHS Digital indicates that figures are directly comparable to previous years.
*Data for 2020/21 – The proportion of eligible children measured through the NCMP was much lower because of school closures up to March 2021 and a different approach to the data collection to account for this. Due to the impact of COVID 19 the collection was carried out as a sample and statistical weighting was applied which is representative of the population and results are broadly comparable to previous years. Only children with valid geographical coding (postcode of residence) have been included in this analysis.

Anti-idling events

Emma Best: Can you confirm how many events will have been conducted by 31st March 2022 as part of the Air Quality Fund’s anti idling project?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Air Quality Fund’s Idling Action Project is a London-wide behaviour change campaign tackling unnecessary pollution emissions from idling vehicles through various engagement methods, one of which is Idling Action events. These events entail project officers, borough officers and volunteers engaging directly with drivers on the subject of idling, explaining the health impacts of pollution and asking drivers to pledge not to idle in the future. Due to Covid-19 and social distancing these events were put on hold for a significant period so the project instead focussed on the other engagement elements such as school workshops, engaging with businesses and a London-wide advertising campaign.
Once it was assessed to be safe to restart the events, these were relaunched with a focus on schools. By the end of March 2022, 111 Idling Action events will have been held as part of the current Mayor’s Air Quality Fund project. There have also been Idling Action workshops delivered at 139 schools to approximately 11,000 pupils.

Universal Basic Income pilot in Wales

Zack Polanski: The Welsh government recently announced that it will trial a universal basic income (UBI) pilot for 250 care leavers. How will you engage with the outcomes of this pilot when considering a UBI scheme in London?

The Mayor: As I’ve said previously, I am open-minded to exploring a range of options for supporting Londoners in financial hardship and I will certainly consider the findings of the UBI pilot in Wales, especially given its scale.
It is however important to note that research has shown that the costs associated with UBI are significant – and certainly any sizeable experiment in London would require Government funding.
We must not lose sight of the need to make full use of the tools we already have to hand for protecting Londoners’ living standards. That means ensuring that the current welfare system is accessible to all who need it straight away, and that it covers the basic cost of living and housing.

Improving energy efficiency in the GLA Group (1)

Zack Polanski: Given the rise in energy prices, what measures have you implemented to improve energy efficiency across the GLA Group?

The Mayor: Improving energy efficiency by retrofitting London’s buildings is essential to meeting net zero. That’s why in February I hosted the Greener and Warmer Homes and Workplaces Summit, alongside London Councils.
The recent rises in energy prices add further urgency to retrofit our buildings. The GLA group has reduced energy demand by 57,000 MWh since 2016. But there is still much work to be done. I have tasked the Functional Bodies to identify how best to decarbonise their estates to help meet my 2030 net zero carbon target.
To achieve this, Functional Bodies are developing detailed net zero strategies for their estates, working with my Retrofit Accelerator Workplaces programme. They are identifying quick wins for energy efficiency and opportunities for grant funding through the public sector decarbonisation scheme. This is in addition to delivering projects through existing capital improvement programmes, such as TfL’s roll-out of energy efficient lighting across stations.

West London Orbital Update

Nicholas Rogers: Please update the Assembly on the latest position on the West London Orbital.

The Mayor: Developing the West London Orbital remains a priority in my Transport Strategy. It will help support sustainable growth and improve orbital public transport to connect homes and jobs across west London. Close joint working between Transport for London (TfL) and the west London boroughs has allowed project development to continue over the past two years despite the pandemic. This development work has provided more confidence on the train service that can be provided and the infrastructure required to do so.
TfL and the boroughs are now discussing the funding approach for the next stage of scheme development, which I hope will start soon. Given the ongoing lack of longer-term funding support for TfL from Government the current work will need to be funded by the boroughs. I welcome the constructive approach the boroughs are taking to enable this to happen.
Securing a long-term funding package for the scheme will require contributions from multiple sources, including Government. A longer-term settlement for TfL would assist in this process by allowing TfL to develop a pipeline of capital investment.

Proposal ACP 2021-056

Tony Devenish: Do you agree that the consultation for Heathrow’s airspace change proposal ACP 2021-056 should a) adopt a set of transparent and appropriate design principles, decided after proper and thorough engagement and consultation, b) not be submitted in a piecemeal manner or without adequate notice, and is not rushed through the different gateways of the airspace modernisation programme, c) make it clear precisely what the noise impact and noise levels below are expected to be of any optimized flight routes and new procedures, on newly affecting residents living below them and d) involve a 1 week live trial for every community which will have increased noise over them as a result of the proposed airspace changes, so that people can understand any harmful effect? If so, what representations are you making to see that these criteria are met?

The Mayor: It is essential that airspace change proposals at any airport fully engage with local communities and that this is done with sufficient detail and timeframes to comprehend the totality of noise impacts. This must include the flightpaths and the navigation procedures, both of which will have a fundamental bearing on the level of noise experienced on the ground. The distribution of noise must be equitable and new technologies must not be used to disproportionately concentrate the noise impacts on certain communities. The other environmental impacts of airspace change proposals – notably carbon emissions - also need to be fully set out and given proper consideration.
Transport for London will reiterate its views to Heathrow Airport Limited, including through the consultation process.